Friday, May 30, 2014

Travel + Leisure offers a nice taste of the Italian Dolomites in their recent article, Hot Spots of Italy’s Dolomite Mountains. Their well-written piece does a nice job of capturing the essence and soul of the Dolomites experience.

What’s more, the article mentions most of the places that we visit and/or stay in during our Jubliäum Fronte Italiano hike (our 30th anniversary village-based hiking tour through the Italian Dolomites). The Rosa Alpina Hotel, Pizzinini's private hut and the Rifugio Fanes all make appearances in the article.

Already been to the Dolomites? No problem. The story will rekindle fond memories.

Note: Our Jubiläum trip is completely sold out, but we still have space on some of our other Dolomites hiking tours. We can also arrange a customized self-guided hiking tour if, for some reason, a guided tour doesn’t work for you.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

National Geographic has a nice story about our Slovenia hiking tour. Check it out.FYI; we only have 3 spots left on our guided trip. Please join us!Hiking in Slovenia's Triglav National Park
By Kelley McMillanNational Geographic Adventure
As we topped out on Prehodavci Pass in Slovenia’s Triglav National Park, our guide, Ken Fuhrer from Ryder Walker Alpine Adventures, recounted the legend of Zlatorog, a celebrated Slovenian myth about a local girl who demanded that her suitor, a hunter from the neighboring Trenta Valley, fetch for her the golden horns of Zlatorog, a chamois with a gilded rack. Read more.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

...are the norm in Bhutan. Ryder-Walker guest Lisa Barry captured this image during our Bhutan Chomolhari Trek. She and her group spent 12 nights/13 days hiking breathtaking mountain passes at the top of the world. It's no wonder that Bhutanese residents refer to their homeland as the "Happiest Place on Earth." Big mountains views like this make us happy too!

Friday, May 02, 2014

Guests of our Bhutan Chomlhari Trek recently enjoyed an archery lesson in the popular village of Paro. Archery is the national sport of Bhutan, and every Bhutanese village has its own archery range.

Bhutanese archery is not the simple bow-and-arrow stuff that most of us learned at summer camp, however. In Bhutan, archery is a very social affair with lots of eating, singing, dancing and general indulgence. Many archery teams also have their own singers and dancers whose sole job it is to distract the opposing team. They gather around the targets, dancing, singing and heckling—making fun of the shooter’s ability and doing everything they can to steer a hopeful arrow from its mark. When an arrow does find its target, lots of clapping and cheering ensues. Oh, and did we mention the drinking? It’s a big part of the sport.

Could archery and partying be the secret behind Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness? Perhaps. Or maybe it's just the fact that Bhutanese people have a rich social network and they love to celebrate life. Either way, maybe there was value in those summer camp archery lessons after all.

Our next stop is the Tiger’s Nest, then into the mountains for a night of sleeping beneath the 'Mountain of the Goddess' (24,035 feet).

Celebrating 33 Years!

We are the Global Trekking Specialists. Founded in 1984, Ryder-Walker Alpine Adventures specializes in handcrafted hiking itineraries that explore the most stunning landscapes on the planet. From private and small group guided adventures, to fully custom self guided tours, we make it easy to realize the perfect adventure vacation. Visit ryderwalker.com and begin the journey of a lifetime!